LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Officials in Lincoln County are closely watching the situation at and south of the Echo Canyon Reservoir and Eagle Valley Reservoir, northeast of Panaca. Some people have been advised to leave their homes because of flooding around the area of the dams and two state parks.
Thanks to heavy rain earlier this week, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and other county officials said Echo Dam, located at the Echo Canyon State Park and home of the Echo Canyon Reservoir, is holding as of Friday morning and the water level has actually dropped a little.
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The east side of Ursine is cut off due to erosion of the roads and access by the fire station, resort road, and Rose Valley road are restricted. (Image: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office) -
The east side of Ursine is cut off due to erosion of the roads and access by the fire station, resort road, and Rose Valley road are restricted. (Image: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office)
Many local roads are either flooded or damaged because of flooding including SR 322 between Eagle Valley Resort and Spring Valley State Park, according to the Lincoln County Record.
On its Facebook page Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office said, “If an evacuation is necessary, the residents that will need to evacuate will be notified via reverse 911 and it will be posted on social media.”
Lincoln County Sheriff Derek Foremaster told 8 News Now that if more rain and snow move into the area over the next week the situation at the Eagle Valley Reservoir could become more serious.
The dams are not located along a river or creek, they are along the Meadow Valley Wash. Below the dams are farms, ranches and after about 10 miles the town of Panaca with a population of a little over 1,000. The area is extremely rural and mountainous with many canyons and washes.
This is a developing story, and this page will be updated with new information as it becomes available.